I'm an REI member with a 1xx,xxx number which, in the world of REI, shows I've been a a customer 30+ years. I like them as a general outdoor store but their venture into downhill skiing is mediocre. I prefer a specialist shop. REI inventory is not deep, if it is unique they don't have it and they literally fold up the shop at the end of March. This aggravates me since they are the closest shop to my home and I often ski until the end of the season and if I want something, it would be nice to find them open for skiing business. So...great outdoors shop; mediocre in the skiing segment compared to a specialist.